Dynamo 47

When they were drafted I had high hopes for both of them. Marshall is a leader and physical player and Bourdon had some offensive skills and could lay out some punishing hits. They just haven't materialized and I think the brass overestimated their impact in the NHL. I can see Bourdon possibly being a 5/6 guy with work but as others have mentioned, Marshall is very slow. I LOVE his grit and toughness but he simply is a pylon out there in the next level.

Agreed. There are few sure things in life like death and taxes and Briere in the playoffs. For that reason alone he is worth it as he ALWAYS shows up and has an excellent playoffs.

Awesome. Thanks for the heads up. I made the switch to the fan as soon as it started as I couldn't stand listening to that pompous ass Eskin. People either love or hate Mikey Miss but I do have a lot of respect for him as an interviewer.

Definitely the last game at the Spectrum. Gene Hart the MC, and the classy act of the old and new players taking their skate around the ice. I was a die hard and hated to see the Spectrum go. It was old, ugly, smelled like urine, the bathrooms were disgusting but it was home. Seeing Behn Wilson skate with Christine I remembered vividly as Behn still looked good and would have loved to see him drop Bundy. Of course the best was seeing Lindros and Clarkie skating around together. I so glad they bured the hatchet.

Probably Richards. Surprised no one said Justin Williams who unlike Patrick Sharp actually played almost two full seasons with the team and after trading him he went on to have back to back 30 goals seasons with Carolina. I think so many said Sharp only because he has turned into a good player and goal scorer but if he hadn't no one would miss him as he hardly played. While Sharp is certainly a guy who turned into a player, he really didn't have many games nor show any inkling of what type of player he would become when he was a Flyer. The kid played not even a full season in a Flyers uniform (actually 63 games over two seasons) and scored an astounding 10 goals and 5 assists. That is like saying your favorite ex-Phillie was Ryne Sanberg. Just remember all those Schenn bashers that if Schenn were to put up 15 points in 63 games the fans would be killing him. Gags a little bit but when he was traded, he was done as far as I was concerned.

And you have a good point. But in the NHL; especially when hockey was hockey, Gretzky didn't need the protection as he had Semenko,McClelland, McSorley, Fogolin and Steve Smith to make sure no one took liberties with him. But Mario and now Crosby definitely receive preferential treatment which I guess is somewhat expected. What ticks me off is Lindros was never protected by the league. Of course he was a physical player where the others noted are not but he should not have been penalized by not being protected by the officials.

He has made me eat some serious crow thus far. I thought he was all speed with no finish. I actually thought he would turn out to be a Mike Maneluk type guy who would dominate the "A" and not cut it in the pro ranks. Glad that I was wrong on him.

Glad you made it. It's nice to actually talk hockey and not get into pissing contests.

They were definitely leaked as it looks like the one in the link I found. I like them. I like keeping the Orange (the Orange and Black to hockey is what the Silver and Black are to football) and I like the fact they aren't so old school that they are ugly. The only thing I would have like to have seen is possibly a Liberty Bell on each shoulder? Something to represent Philadelphia aside from a shooting-lol

I actually agree. He didn't dive nor whine nearly as much as in years past. I'm a little surprised that Neal will not be playing on his line based on reports. Curious to see how he plays as far as being physical. I know from my concussion history that I was very apprehensive at first and kept thinking let me get through one game. Once I actually took a hit I was OK.

There is so much speculation as to what the jersey may look like but I think this is close to what we will see. This jersey came courtesy of EBay and even has the winter classic date and info on the inside collar. I am trying to post this and receiving an error the post is too short. Since I can't post the photo, here is a link to the photo: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Has-the-Philadelphia-Flyers-Winter-Classic-jerse?urn=nhl-wp17091

I'm not sure about a conspiracy. I definitely believe that Bettman has rooting interests in certain teams and/or players doing well. I also believe that there have been allegations of officials being told to call games certain ways. I forget the former referee who wrote a book and reportedly stated something along those lines. I definitely believe that Bettman wanted Crosby and the Pens to win a cup. When Detroit goes up 2-0 in the finals and Malkin clearly violated the rules and should have been suspended for game three, the refs looked the other way. Without Malkin there was a good chance the Pens go down 3-0. With him they won game 3 4-2 and went on to win the Cup. If that was a Flyer or most any other team or player in the league, the player is suspended for the 3rd game of the finals. That is why I am curious about tonight's game and the return of Sidney Crosby. I think that every time he is on the ice the refs will have the whistle in their mouths if someone checks him. I am happy he is back but it is not the job of the referees to protect a player. You will see if there is a ref conspiracy tonight in Crosby's return.

I can appreciate what he does but it's obvious by his lack of games and ice time that his days are numbered. I hated the deal when Homer signed him as I thought it was way too much money and for too long. Because of that and due to likely lack of interest elsewhere I think we're stuck with him.

Crosby is slated to return to action Monday against the Isles. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=602434&navid=DL|NHL|home Curious as what other Flyers/hockey fans feel. I know the disdain that Flyer fans have fro Crosby but I think it's great that he's returning. The games against the Pens aren't the same as when #87 is out there. It makes the games nastier and easier to hate the Pens when Crosby is playing. As fans what do you expect in his return? He will obviously be rusty and his timing off but does anyone expect him to score any points? Do you think the league will be overly sensitive and if anyone so much as breathes on him there will be a penalty? Curious as to what Flyer fans thought of Crosby's return.

I hope some or most are joking. I would avoid Carter like the fat girls at bars when I'm sober. Of course when you get drunk then all are fair game. But since Homer is and has been off the wagon, I feel safe that he too wants nothing to do with Carter.

Well since assclown Bettman doesn't want to lose another franchise to the Great North, he will try hockey, in Vegas, or Kansas City. If he were not an assclown, he would relocate the franchise to Quebec where the rivalry of the ages with Le Habitants would be restored. IF he insists on keeping the team in the states, I would suggest Seattle which has a long history of supporting minor league hockey and adds another west coast team and would become a natural rival with Vancouver.

Well they face several issues. One they are a small market team with an ownership imposed cap limit. Two is their defensive situation. After this season basically all of their defense is up for grabs. With a team that has two star defenseman, one of them will be available. Not to mention that they have to plan for the possibility that despite having RFA's, that another GM could tender them an offer sheet. So given their cap restrictions and the fact they could lose all of their defense (in theory) it makes one of Weber or Suter ripe for the picking. The Flyers really need to call them and ask if there would be any interest in trading Weber or Suter and what would they want in return. We've dealt with them before and they would be smart to see what they can acquire or risk losing both. Weber, Shea » $7,500,000 RFA Suter, Ryan » $3,500,000 UFA Bouillon, Francis » $1,350,000 UFA Klein, Kevin » $1,350,000 $1,350,000 UFA Blum, Jonathon » EL $941,667 RFA Laakso, Teemu » $675,000 RFA Hillen, Jack » $650,000 RFA

Good point and I noted something similar in my reply to aziz. If players have their legs moving and receive a pass with momentum, the Bolts are there in the neutral zone flat footed. They are either going to have to hold or hook or something or risk being blown by. Go shorthanded enough and they will abandon it.

You have several good points aziz. It is basically a zone defense and as such is easy to spot when they are sitting like that in the neutral zone. In a case like last night it would be a perfect time for a delay of game. Given there are no rules against it now, the ref would be powerless to enforce it but i would not be at all surprised if there isn't some serious thought given to penalizing it. Your other good point was (and would be my way of attacking it) is that their players are stationary in the neutral zone. If you have players heading up ice with a head of steam they are either going to force them to react or simply have some darn good passing to break it. Not wanting to be caught "flat footed" is as old as the game itself. Same premise as when a team has puck possession in the opponents zone. If the Flyers are skating and cycling and the other team is flat footed then you get good scoring chances. I have to disagree with any rule stating the possessing team attempt to move the puck because in that case they are playing right into the 1-3-1 strength if it's already established. I don't know if there is a right or wrong way to deal with it but the league had to be pretty unhappy with it last night as it makes for some bad hockey.

Exactly. But after next season, both Kimo and Hartnell come off the cap which will free up over $10 million in cap space. I really hope we make some kind of play for Weber or Suter. One angle no one has considered yet and that is "did the Flyers sign Coburn to a reasonable deal to make him more attractive for a trade"? Could signing Coburn be used to possibly go to Nashville and use him a piece for Weber or Suter? The Preds can't afford to keep them both and likely tie up $14 million in cap space on two defensemen; especially when almost their entire defensive corp is scheduled to RFA's or UFA's at the end of the season.

But the Flyers did find a way around it - simply sit there and force them out of it. That is where the ref has to tell Tampa that if they don't come out of it or start forechecking then they will be given a delay of game.

I hate all the league has done with adding another ref and calling all the ticky tack borderline calls to eliminate the clutching and grabbing BUT I think the league has to do something for this. Milbury and others were right that it is crappy hockey and there are limited ways in which to attack the trap and many teams don't have that type of puck carrying defenseman to help break it.

I did think that was funny that Milbury walked out. I fully expected him to walk back in but he didn't. Have you noticed any other teams freeze the puck like the Flyers do? I haven't seen many Lightning games but the ones I have, I haven't noticed. I love the fact the Flyers draw attention to it.

I would love to see Clarke and Lindros shake hands, embrace, and end the animosity. Lindros is one of the greatest Flyers ever and had he remained healthy, likely would have surpassed Clarke as the greatest Flyer of all time. There were mistakes made on both Lindros and the Flyers part but Lindrhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR389em23T8os was/is too big for the franchise to cast out like he never happened. Look at where Eric is on the all time stats leaders of the team. Points - 5th despite only playing in 486 games in the O&B he had 659 points where Clarkie had 1210 in 1144 games. Assists - T5th with Ricky Mac. What's telling is he had 3 more assists then Brindy despite playing in 147 less games Goals - 8th with 290 - if he were not so unselfish he easily could have scored more goals but he made players like Brent Fedyk and Trent Klatt 20 goal scorers PIMS - Despite only 486 games, his penalty minute total ranks 12th with 946. It's a testament to his physical style You take all that into consideration and add the fact that his presence allowed Ed Snider to build the new arena and being the face of the franchise, it is great that they are burying the hatchet. Even better is that this will hopefully allow Lindros to secure his rightful spot in the Flyers Hall of Fame and have his number retired by the team.

For all who watched the game, you saw that when Tampa went into the 1-3-1 trap that the Flyers did not move the puck and stood there with it waiting until Tampa forechecked. At one point in the beginning of the game almost a minute elapsed before the ref blew the play dead and called for a faceoff. Some people ripped the Flyers for simply standing there and not skating but I applaud them for approaching it that way. The Bolts 1-3-1 is nothing more then a glorified neutral zone trap where the funnel the puck carrier or force passes to create turnovers. There is no forecheck and they simply wait for the opponent to come to them and force the turnover. To me it is garbage hockey and no better then the Left Wing Lock made famous by Detroit and the Neutral Zone Trap by the Devils. So I thought it was great of Lavy to simply not move the puck and force the Lightning to come out of it. Much like in basketball when you want to force a team out of a zone into man to man the point guard holds the ball until they come out. Matthew Barnaby talked about it on ESPN News last night and said it was a disgrace to hockey (like he wasn't) and he felt bad for people who saw that game as their first game. He said the NHL will definitely be talking about it when the Board of Governors meets. So what is your opinion and how would you address it? I don't blame the Flyers as while a trap isn't illegal they shouldn't have to play into it. What the NHL needs to do is address it immediately. To me the neutral zone trap killed hockey when the Devils employed it to win several cups. The trap also allowed less talented expansion franchises to compete. All in all it was bad for the game. To me it is as bad for the game as the clutching and grabbing and the trap days. To address it the NHL needs to enact a rule with a penalty for a delay of game for a team caught playing a trap. The league would need to clearly define that the forechecker must be moving forward and be across the blue line and that no more then two players can be in the neutral zone unless covering an opposing player. Something along those lines. It's pretty obvious when a team is playing a trap and the referee needs to warn them and the coach to come out of it or they will be penalized for delay of game. Creating a delay of game penalty for a team playing the trap would prevent that 1-3-1 garbage we saw last night and open up the game more by providing more flow and scoring chances. Hell, Bettman almost ruined the game now with his penalty fests and phantom holding and hooking penalties and to me the trap is even a bigger issue then that. Appreciate your thoughts.